Transitions in the World--Approaching Advent; Is. 65:17-25

"For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord."

I. Introduction

This powerful text appears in our readings just before we embark on the Advent journey. Next week is Christ the King Sunday and then, in December, the four Advent Sundays. We go from the rather carefree and formless days of Pentecost and "ordinary time," to the structured days of Advent, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. Maybe you are not ready to leave that Pentecost time! Maybe you would rather continue to luxuriate in its free-form character, to explore new nooks and crannies of the season of Pentecost. But we can't. We must move along. Closing time, open up the doors and let the people go into the world.

But before we move into the new time, we go through "transitions." Transitions are the hardest things for many people. We become accustomed to our rhythms, and then we are wrenched out of them. Sleep to waking is our daily transition, and we even struggle against that one. But we have vacation to work, weekend to work-week, full house to empty nest, married to single (or single to married), and a host of other relational and natural transitions. They are as inevitable as the cycles of nature.

Soem people seem, however, to be "transition experts," easily and blithely going from one situation in life to the next as if it is a stepping stone to greater things. The strength of memory and the challenge of the new both work together to make transitions a blessing for some.

The beautiful text for the morning is a "transition" text--one that takes the people out of the times of division and judgment (65:1-16) into a time of freedom and new creation (17-25). There is a transition from division of the people to the unity of the people. For the sake of some good grapes in the crop (v.8), God will not execute judgment on them all. Verses 17-25 speak of the blessing waiting for those who are called "My servants" several times in vv. 1-16. But what does this transformed world consist in? Three things: (a) New Physical Surroundings (17-19); (b) New Natural Realities (20-22); and (c) New Spiritual Truths (23-25). Let's speak about each briefly.

II. New Physical Surroundings (65:17-19)

The bold and dramatic vision of vv. 17-19 is one that I can read over and over again. We move from the "frame" of the world--"new heavens and new earth"--to the central object of the "picture"--Jerusalem. Imagery and words of delight pile upon each other. Jerusalem finally will become the joy which the Psalmist promised it would be (Ps. 46; 48). But the city's delightful status reflects a deeper reality--that God delights in the people. Finally, God can put away the measuring stick, the rod of discipline, the disappointment which accompanied all endeavors from the first halting steps in the Promised Land in Gen. 12 through the fall of Jerusalem. Now there will be unmitigated delight; unrestrained joy. It is almost too much to hope for, given the realities of the world which we all know and become accustomed to. But finally, the vision of Ps. 48 will be fulfilled:

"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King," Ps. 48:1-2.

Jerusalem will be the joy of all the earth. That is the improbable, but clear, promise of Isaiah. We are bathed in new physical realities in the great transition to come.

III. New Natural Realities (65:20-23)

The natural realities of which I speak are the changes in human life which accompany the new heavens and earth. Several are mentioned here: (a) longevity will be the norm; (b) maintenance of property in the family will happen; (c) calamities will cease. It is interesting to me that in the 21st century, we are already beginning to see, irrespective of a "new heavens and earth" the reality of longevity. Read some studies on centenarians. It is estimated that there will be nearly 1,000,000 centenarians in the United States alone by 2050. You really can get quite distracted in studies of aged people--I did--and discover, for example, that the oldest current living American is Edna Parker (born April 20, 1893), now living in a retirement home in Shelbyville, IN (which also houses the tallest woman in America, Sandy Allen)... facts, facts..

Well, after that digression, it is hard to return to the text! But the point to note is that the natural order will be so arranged around us that life and conditions of justice (keeping family property; regular harvests) will be preserved.

IV. New Spiritual Realities (65:24-25)

The author closes with references to remarkable things that indicate a transtion in spiritual life. Prayer is answered even before it is uttered; natural enemies in the animal world now join each other in harmony. The latter image is derived from Isaiah 11, and is a sign of the dawning of the Messianic Age. The notion of prayers being answered before they are uttered, or our voice being heard before we even formulate the words, lies behind Paul's ruminations about prayer and the Spirit in Romans 8:20ff. This passage in Isaiah has taken wings and now lives deeply in the heart of imaginative and faithful people.

Conclusion

It might take the vision of a new heaven and earth to wrench us from the pleasant days of Pentecost to the focused days of Advent. I think that without this kind of "encouragement," I would be tempted to "stay" in Pentecost forever. But now, with the promise of new physical, natural and spiritual realities, I will gladly take God's hand and enter into the joyous possibilities of Advent 2007. Will you come too?

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